About the Candidate
Name: Brian Haag
Date of Birth: N/A
Occupation: Founder Green Element Resale
Political Experience: None
Political Party: Independent
Website: brianhaagforward48.org
Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
To be a voice for all of Edgewater especially small business owners, public school kids and their parents, affordable housing advocates, seniors, bicyclists, and the renters and landlords who pay the property taxes — everyone living in Edgewater — as our representative at the city council of Chicago.
What does this office do well, and what needs fixing?
Pretty good on most stuff — except not so good on reaching out directly to each small business on Broadway to gather input on the LSD northern terminus study. Most small business owners do not attend community meetings because they work too many hours and don't stay in the loop. The LSD northern terminus study done by IDOT and CDOT proposes to take away all parking and loading zones on Broadway and replace them with bike lanes.
What is the most pressing issue facing your constituents and how do you plan on addressing it?
Public safety. Hire more police and support the treatment not trauma ordinance.
What specific steps would you take to ensure your office is accessible and responsive to your constituents?
I will be a full time alderman like Harry Osterman was. Will also have one night per week deli-style take a number/ask the alderman for those who can't come in to the office for an appointment on weekdays. Once a month I'll hold town halls on weekends or week nights to discuss important issues and free-for-all questions and discussions.
Do you believe in the tradition of aldermanic prerogative, which gives each City Council member the final say on issues in their ward?
Yes.
Should the $1.9 billion budget for the Chicago Police Department increase, stay the same or decrease?
Increase.
Should the city raise the Real Estate Transfer Tax on properties sold for more than $1 million to fund programs to help unhoused Chicagoans?
Yes.
Should the city open and operate mental health clinics to provide free care to Chicagoans?
Yes, absolutely.
How should Chicago build the 120,000 homes it needs for low- and moderate-income Chicagoans?
Start with expanding ADUs and repurposing existing buildings, especially current unused office space. Those office jobs are now remote and never coming back.
What do you see as potential solutions to address the number of shootings in Chicago?
Hire more police officers — we are down between 900 and 1,500.
Create more jobs — that's the best deterrent to crime. We can easily create jobs right now in composting, community gardens, urban agriculture, building new park lands on brown fields especially on the South and West sides of Chicago. Food waste in the U.S. is 200 pounds per person. That methane gas created in landfills is far worse than carbon dioxide and is greater than all American animal agriculture combined. We can end that and create new fresh top soil at the same time.
Should the city do more to encourage residents to live close to where they work and shop by building dense multi-unit apartment complexes near transportation hubs?
Yes — expand transit oriented development.
Should the city prioritize the construction of bicycle lanes and encourage people to use bicycles to commute to work?
Yes, but not at the expense of small businesses parking. This does not have to be a win-lose situation. We need to work out win-win solutions here.
What steps should the city take to prevent Chicago’s shoreline from eroding further?
Last Four Miles — Thom Greene and Paul Boyd's visionary plan as supported by Friends of the Parks and many others of us — would be a great start!